Provisional Cast On – Part 1

A simplified way to do the provisional cast on. So easy it’s actually fun!

Are you one of the many knitters that sees “provisional cast on” for a pattern and immediately says “nope?” I totally used to be in that group. The original way I learned the technique was no fun at all. It was complicated, frustrating, and it took seemingly forever.

What even is a provisional cast on? Basically it is casting on with a different yarn, then knitting into it with your ‘real’ yarn. The ‘real’ stitches are held by the cast on yarn so they can be put back on the needle later. It’s often used for a collar, or for seamless finishing with Kitchener stitch.

After trying many different methods for a provisional cast on, I am now 100% a fan of this method. It is the only way I do it no matter what a pattern says. Give it a try, you’ll want to use it all the time!

What you’ll need:

• Scrap Yarn
• Knitting Needles
• Crochet Hook

Scrap Yarn – The scrap yarn is there to hold the stitches for later. Use a smooth yarn in the same size/weight as your main yarn. And definitely pick a bold contrast color, it will make it much easier to see when you work the stitches again.

Knitting Needles – Of course you’ll need the needles you’ll be working with for the project!

Crochet Hook – A hook in the same size (or close to it) as your needles. I used hook size F (3.75mm) with DK weight yarn and a 4mm needle for this example. The stitches are formed on the needle, so the hook size won’t affect the actual stitches.

Ready? Let’s Cast On… Provisionally!

Set things up:

• With scrap yarn, make a slipknot on the crochet hook.
• Hold the hook in front of the needle

Repeat these 2 easy steps

1. Wrap yarn around the back of the needle and the front of the hook (counter clockwise)
2. Use the hook and pull the yarn through the loop

That’s it! Continue repeating this until you have the desired number of stitches on the needle.

When you’re done casting on, single chain crochet a few (I like 5) stitches for a little tail. Cut the yarn and pull the last one through. Celebrate! That’s the hard part, though it really does become fun after you get the hang of it.

Now it’s time for the Knitting

Use your ‘real’ yarn and starting knitting your pattern into the contrast yarn stitches. It is seriously that easy and it looks pretty cool too.

Confession… I try to pick scrap yarn colors that look nice with my project. The scrap yarn goes away at the end, but it’s like matching stitch markers and project bags for me – makes me happy looking at pretty things!

Pro Tips:

• Loosen up! The scrap yarn cast on won’t be part of your finished work, so let it be a bit loose.
• Cotton yarn is great as a scrap yarn. (I used wool in these pictures… cotton isn’t fuzzy like wool)

Ready to lose the scrap yarn and work with that first row of stitches? This post shows how to make that easy and fun too!